I came across Leviticus Jewelry through Cupcakes & Cashmere. After spending probably far too much time drooling over, well, everything they make, I came across this beauty, a Handmade Vegan Leather Spike Necklace. It was love at first sight. I love the rocker look, provided it doesn't dive into the realm of Courtney Love (or Taylor Momsen for that matter). But actual spikes instead of mere studs??! It's almost worthy of a spikey mohawked boyfriend. Hey, I said 'almost'.

Over Labour Day long weekend I finally found one of the things I had been coveting for awhile - matte nail polish. I picked up OPI La Paz-itively Hot - a bright fuchsia colour.

I hadn't heard much about the matte colours except for that they exist and are one of the hot nail trends. Having taken a bit of a nail polish hiatus over the summer, this was the perfect thing to throw me right back in. I typically change the colour on my nails 2 or 3 times per week. Speaking to the girl at the salon, she told me to make sure I read the directions (!!??).

I got home and read these so-called directions. 1) Do not wear a base coat or top coat, 2) Do not use hand moisturizer. I took the latter to mean that I shouldn't have cream on my hands prior to polishing, because there's no way that I would be able to not moisturize for however long the polish was on. Finally, there's what I would call a disclaimer.

OPI matte may not last as long as regular OPI.

Which, I suppose makes sense since there are no base or top coats.

The major plus side of this polish is that it is quick drying. No fuss. Seriously, you could put it on while getting ready for a night out and you wouldn't have to worry about smudging it! I loved that. What I didn't love, however, was that it does, in fact, chip rather easily. The other morning, after doing my nails the night before, I left for work, got on the SkyTrain, and by the time I had gotten to work, one of my nails had a huge chip in it! But, I suppose that since it does dry so quickly, it's not that big of a deal since it would take no time to fix it.

All in all, despite the annoyance, it's a great product, the quick drying being a huge selling factor to me. Plus, I love the way it looks!

I'm leaving for the airport momentarily, but I thought I'd tell you not to worry, I have a bunch of posts waiting in the queue to be published. So with my absence, you'll still be able to get your dose of Hybrid.

Enjoy the sun while it lasts, Happy Thanksgiving (is it that time of year already??), and enjoy the opening of Forever21 (Oct11).

The MTV VMAs were a couple weeks ago. I didn't watch them - I had forgotten that they were even on. And while I didn't get to watch Kanye diss Taylor Swift live, the silver lining is that I didn't have to watch any of the boring parts...namely anything that has to do with the actual awards. Because really, I don't care about the awards. I want to see what people are wearing and the performances (Lady GaGa - WOW!). The rest? Doesn't matter to me because I don't usually agree anyway. Like Beyonce, I absolutely cannot stand her. I liked her in Destiny's Child, but solo, I have no time for her. And the House of Dereon? Are we trying to make clothes that girls from the deep south that live on the "wrong side of the tracks" will wear? Because Momma Tina is successful in that. But I digress.

In the days that followed, I came across a picture that actually blew my mind. I had to literally, pick up pieces of grey matter from my cubicle.

Not so long ago, Stephanie Pratt was a cute girl. Although she comes across as a shit-disturber and an airhead on The Hills, you can't deny that she was cute. She was very girl-next-door...almost wholesome looking.

But at the VMAs, Stephanie Pratt graced the world with a, well, let's call it a new look....

I will openly admit that I think her new nose is great! It's a nice nose! I don't think it was particularly necessary, but what do I know? It's not something I'd get for myself, but on her, it looks good (and identical to Heidi's). But her lips. Did we fast-forward a month and Steph's wearing an Aubrey O'Day mask for Hallowe'en? It looks like she came straight from getting her Restylane injections - I've actually seen pictures of her since and her lips have deflated a bit, but are still borderline ridiculous. I mean, is she smiling in this picture or are her lips just too big that that's how they're supposed to be? It doesn't help her cause that the lashes she's wearing are way too heavy for her eyes and are weighing down her lids!

What I don't understand is this obsession that young women (particularly Hollywood) have with plastic surgery! Getting a procedure because you need it (Ashley Tisdale's nose) is one thing, but because you want to further your career (Megan Fox, Heidi Montag) is another. Girls like the latter two are virtually only famous because they exploit themselves and their bodies. What real talent do either of them have?

NYFW has come and gone for another season and not all of us were fortunate enough to have graced the white tents with our presence. Fortunately for us, Michael Kors broadcasted his show live on his website.

I'm a big fan of MK; his handbags are divine, and his clothes are preppy and classic, but still have that edge to them. His S/S 2010 show did not disappoint.

The show definitely had a spring feel. Full of blues, greens, purples, whites and greys, I easily imagined the clothes as easter eggs. They were shiny, pastel-esque and beautiful. The clothes had a simplicity and wearability to them, the kind you could find at Banana Republic or Club Monaco, but it was the details that made them rise above. Details like draping gave the line a ethereal feel. But as much as they were romantical, the line also felt like a modern take on the Mad Men era with no fuss sheaths.

Trends that were present: light/pastel colours, exposed zippers, one shoulder dresses, fabric draping, cut outs, and a significantly toned down version of the emphasized shoulder.

The Michael Kors Spring/Summer 2010 show is still available on the website for viewing.

Lately I've had a quasi-self-imposed shopping ban. And aside from picking up a few things here and there for my upcoming New Zealand trip, I've fared rather well. It certainly helps when you avoid any sort of shopping though.

What good luck: My ShoeDazzle caged booties arrived last week (credit from ones bought/returned earlier in the summer), but the 7.5 was too big, so I had to send them back and get a different size.

What bad luck: They won't arrive back to me until after I've left for my trip...and I get home Oct. 15.

I met a friend at Brentwood Mall this week for coffee and had some time to kill, so I went to Payless in hopes of finding the Alice+Olivia Robertson Jeweled Boot (no luck - boo). Instead, I found these lovelies:

$29 on sale and pretty comfortable (VERY comfortable if you consider the price).

I have been very inconsistent with my blogging as of late. With promises of wine and snuggles with the boyfriend, plus a jam-packed weekend, where does a girl find the time?

I made a stop at Ganache over the weekend to satisfy (at least for the time being) my macaron craving. They come in packages of 9 ($5.95) or 24 ($12.95) and are considerably smaller than the one I got at Granville Island. Because of their size, they don't have the thick layer of ganache, but are still delicious. I'm hoping to try to make my own in the near future...with pictures of course!

Apparently not. The GOP is out of control. Of the speech, "Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer accused Obama last week of trying to 'indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda'" (CNN, 2009). It's a speech to kids. Kids who can't even vote. And unless they're older than 15, it's unlikely that they even know what being socialist means. Greer was jumping the gun with his statement, since it was made before the topic of the speech was even released. Upon finding out what it was, he basically told the media that it was an acceptable topic and that his children would be watching (CNN, 2009).

What further irks me about this is that parents were outraged at the thought of Obama speaking to children. How dare he?! In fact, according to CNN (2009), one woman was actually quoted as saying, "Thinking about my kids in school having to listen to that just really upsets me. I'm an American. They are Americans, and I don't feel that's OK. I feel very scared to be in this country with our leadership right now." Seriously?! You're scared to be in this country? Because this President is trying to create positive relations internationally? How did she feel beforehand when Bush was President? Safe? How are citizens supposed to feel safe when their leader is out poking his nose in places it doesn't belong, aggravating people that he shouldn't be? Is that safe? For God's sake, it's a speech to children. And do you know what it was about?

The importance of staying in school and working hard to get an education.

Quick! Hide your children!

I suppose it's possible that the initial speech may have acted as some sort of political platform. I don't agree with that; it's not a situation that children need to be involved in. But I definitely feel that it is part of a President's responsibility to reach out to children, to inspire them and to engage them. The best thing about Obama's speech is that he knows his target audience. He references JK Rowling and Michael Jordan, illustrating how their failures lead to their eventual success. He emphasizes the importance of getting away from playing Xbox and doing homework instead. And I buy it, because he's probably played Xbox and read Harry Potter.

So what's the big deal, GOP? You let Bush talk to your kids, and he can barely formulate a sentence. But when a wonderfully well-spoken, educated man wants to speak to your children, just because he doesn't come from the same Red State background, you're all up in arms? No wonder your country can't build bipartisanship.

Can't wait to hear what they have to say tomorrow after tonight's speech to the joint session of Congress.

Lately I've been all kinds of obsessed with coloured mascara. I first jumped on the bandwagon last year when I was in Paris. I was in Sephora and asked the girl about what colour mascara would be good for brown eyes. She recommended Urban Decay's Big Fatty Mascara in PurpleHaze. It's worked great. For all you brown eyed girls, purple is the colour that makes your eyes pop!

Shortly after I returned home, I went to the states to shop (obvs) and stopped in at Victoria's Secret. They had their Beauty Rush products on sale and I picked up 2 coloured mascaras, Violight (purple) and Indiglow (blue). I was eager to try blue mascara since I'd had such success with the purple, especially since it was supposed to make the whites of your eyes brighter.

Success! Personally, I find that the blue does a lot more for me because I have pretty dark lashes and also because my eyes can look tired and red from time to time, so anything that makes me look more alert, I'm all for!

I now have 2 purple and 2 blue mascaras and I put them to the test! (The second blue one I have is Benefit's BadGal Lash Mascara - sample size from Sephora! Ha!)

Of the purple mascaras, my vote goes to Urban Decay. I find the colour more noticeable on my lashes than the Beauty Rush, which seems like it's just brushing on a slight tint of colour. The Urban Decay is also noticeable by others - a friend said to me once, "Are you wearing purple mascara??" Why, yes, I am.

Take a look at the difference in colours:

Urban Decay is on the right and Beauty Rush on the left. I definitely prefer the rich, grape-y colour of the Beauty Rush, but unfortunately it's not that colour when it goes on. The pinkier, more eggplant colour of the Purple Haze shows up rather nicely on my dark lashes. The downside of both? Neither make my lashes longer and thicker, so I prefer to put on a coat of black mascara first to get my lashes longer and then apply a quick coat of the purple.

The blue's are a bit more difficult to decide on. The Beauty Rush is definitely noticeable on my lashes; the same friend said to me, "Are you wearing blue mascara?". But, like the purple ones, the Indiglow also needs a coat of black before applying. Since the BadGal blue is the same formula as Benefit's regular mascara, it doesn't need the extra coat of black. But, since the original BadGal doesn't give me the lashes I desire, I still put on a coat of my own black mascara before the blue.

BadGal is on the left, Beauty Rush on the right. The colour of BadGal is definitely a lot richer than the Beauty Rush, which comes off fairly muted. But when put on, the colours are fairly similar. And since I end up applying black mascara beforehand anyway, I'd have to say that in the blue category, it's a tie.

I love, love, love this t-shirt. The flirty look on it captures attention. The rhinestone detailing adds that little bit extra. And the bow! The crown jewel! It's almost like the girl on the shirt is wearing the bow as a headband, like Blair from Gossip Girl. But for the price tag? For $198, I hope it's spun with gold.

Did anyone read Monday's 24Hours? Did you see the 'Feedback' section, where people can write in with comments? I sure did.

David Mann from Vancouver, you sir, are an ass.

He writes:

Pregnancy is a choice. I do not believe I have to give up my seat on the bus or SkyTrain for a pregnant woman. One has to realize at times having a baby and having children is going to be tough. This is one of those. Give up my seat for the elderly and disabled? Of course. For someone who chooses to have a baby? Not likely.

Seriously? I can only imagine how much hate-mail this man is receiving.

Mr. Mann's statement brings a couple thoughts to my head:

1) What would his Mother say to him? I mean, she obviously chose to get pregnant and have this abomination of an individual. How would he feel if his Mother had been treated this way? I would expect him to be outraged. But I suppose it's also possible that he's a terrible human being and would make his own Mother stand on the SkyTrain...on one foot and not holding on to a handrail.

2) Is he pro-choice or pro-life? Not that it matters. But in MY opinion, being pro-choice means that you get to make the best choice for yourself, be it keep the baby, give the baby up for adoption, or abort it. It's not as transparent as people make it out to be. (End of debate.)

Does Mr. Mann's statement make your blood boil like it does mine? Or am I just overreacting?

To some people, New Zealand is considered to be quasi-obscure, although tourism has increased by about 40%. This is the story of how I decided on New Zealand.

I'm currently working a contract position for the Government that finishes at the end of September. Since day one of this contract, I had planned on taking a long awaited trip upon it's conclusion. I had 2 criteria: 1) I didn't want to break the bank and 2) I wanted to go away for as long as possible without compromising #1. The solution: Thailand.

The land of pad thai, elephant rides, white sand beaches, full moon parties, and tons of world travelers. I had figured that I could go for a month and spend less than $2,700, flight included. In fact, I had planned for the flight to be half my budget, as a friend, who had lived in Thailand for a few months, told me that he had lived on roughly $500-800/month (housing, food, leisure, in-country travel). I even planned to meet up with an Aussie friend of mine, a girl I met in September 2008 on a Greek Island Tour. But, as much as I want to go to South East Asia, I have a hard time going all that way and only going to one country. I would feel extremely rushed trying to fit in as many countries as possible in 4-5 weeks.

To quench my thirst for adventure and relative obscurity, I decided to be a bit lenient on the length of my trip. I found 2 tours that I am interested in doing, one in Turkey, the other in Jordan. I pretty much decided that I wanted to do the Jordan tour (versus Turkey). I've only ever heard good things about the country, and after seeing the Departures episode on Jordan, I've been hooked. But...

Then came the day I was secretly hoping for. When we were in Seattle a few weekends ago, my boyfriend mentioned that I should go to New Zealand with him. My boyfriend is going to visit his family and it's possible that I could go. I love Kiwis and from all the pictures and video I've seen, not to mention the stories I've heard, New Zealand is definitely near the top of my Must See list. Once I double checked whether or not he was serious, the ball was put in motion and yesterday, I bought my ticket! And honestly, I couldn't be happier.

Yes, I sacrificed both of my criteria just a bit - I'm only going for 3 weeks (which falls between the timelines for Thailand and the Middle East) and it may end up costing me a bit more that originally planned (but likely less than a tour) - but I'm ok with that.

Wher would you have choosen if you were me, Turkey, Jordan, Thailand, or New Zealand? Or would you pick some place entirely different?